Paris Saint-Germain defeated Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in the third round of the Champions League, according to RTVE.es. The result is Barcelona's first loss of the season and keeps the Parisians at the top of the standings with three wins from three matches.
The reigning European champions, who have lifted the trophy in each of the last two seasons, again showed the level that has made them the team to beat in the competition. Barcelona, by contrast, saw an 11-match winning run across the Champions League and La Liga come to an end.
Why it matters
The match was billed as an early test of whether Barcelona could match Europe's best, and it answered the question in the negative. RTVE.es notes that Hansi Flick's squad appears thinner than PSG's, and the visitors also lost two players to first-half muscle problems. For Luis Enrique's side, the win is further proof that the machine built over the past two seasons is still running at full power, as El Mundo put it in its match report.
An early storm and a fortunate escape
Barcelona were slow to settle, and PSG nearly punished them inside two minutes. Pedri gave the ball away, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's shot came back off the post. The hosts had three attempts inside the opening five minutes, with Joan García called into action repeatedly, including two saves from close-range Ferran Torres efforts.
Barcelona lost Dembélé to what appeared to be a thigh strain, with Ferran coming on in his place, and Olmo also left the pitch early with discomfort in a thigh. Flick had left Rodri on the bench. Slowly, the visitors found a foothold, mostly down the left through Gordon, but the momentum did not last.
The opening goal came from a Barcelona error. Lamine Yamal, who had dropped deep to help build play, gave the ball away to Neves, who found Doué. The France international created space for himself and struck from the edge of the area to give PSG a lead their pressure deserved. The first half ended with Lamine visibly frustrated.
A second half that swung both ways
Whatever was said at the interval worked. Lamine improved after the break and drove his team forward as PSG dropped deeper. Ten minutes into the second half, Barcelona were level. Fermín López twisted away in midfield and released Xavi Espart, a young full-back starting out of necessity, who raced down the right, caught the PSG defence out and finished superbly.
Barcelona were now on top, and the substitutions kept them there. Gavi, barely on the pitch, forced a strong save from Safonov. But PSG went back in front from a set piece: Doué delivered a corner and Lucas Hernández outjumped Gordon to head home.
The game opened up. Lamine produced another moment of individual brilliance, skipping past the freshly introduced Warren Zaïre-Emery on the right and finishing with the toe of his boot from a tight angle to beat Safonov. PSG responded almost immediately, Vitinha converting a loose ball that fell to him unmarked at the edge of the box.
Late on, Zaïre-Emery made amends for the goal he had conceded, crossing from the right to find Fabián Ruiz at the far post. The Spaniard got behind the defence and sealed the 4-2 scoreline.
What the Spanish press saw
The Spanish outlets framed the night around PSG's superiority in squad depth and execution. Diario AS led with the idea that the Parisians remain in command of the group. MARCA described a champion side that brought down a strong Barcelona. SPORT called the two-time winners too much for a combative Barça at the Parc des Princes. El Mundo wrote of a near-perfect PSG machine that clogged a stubborn Barcelona, and RTVE.es stressed that the result leaves the Catalans with their first setback of the campaign.
The defeat leaves Barcelona to regroup domestically before the Champions League resumes, while PSG's perfect start means the holders control their own path through the league phase.
